Feeding Others With What Seems Too Little

Small loaves in open hands, a picture of Jesus multiplying what we surrender.

Devotional Credit: eManna, by Witness Lee
Photo Credit: Unsplash

We all know that moment when need stares back at us and our basket looks thin. In Matthew 14, the disciples do the math and come up short. Five loaves. Two fish. Thousands of hungry people. Witness Lee points us to the simple truth that grace exposes our emptiness, not to shame us, but to move us to place what we have in Jesus’ hands.

The disciples were quick to advise. Send the crowd away. Manage the problem. Draft a plan. But Jesus turns to them and says, you give them something to eat. It is a jarring sentence. It takes us from what we can explain to what only He can supply. Lee’s reflection helps us see the pivot. Law arms us with instructions and pride. Grace reveals our lack, then supplies Himself as our food and our giving.

This is not Jesus demanding brilliance from tired disciples. This is Jesus inviting participation in His abundance. They offer little. He blesses. He breaks. He gives. Then they give what He is giving. The miracle moves through their hands, but the source is the Lord. That is the way of the abiding life, not our cleverness, but His life expressed through us.

So when we meet the ache around us, we do not posture as fixers. We come as fellow travelers who know the Giver. We place our small bread in His hands, and He multiplies. Thank you, Witness Lee, for pointing our eyes from our thin baskets to the fullness of Jesus.

Journal Entry - Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I know your lack. I never shame you for it. I draw you near so that you learn where fullness lives. You say there are only loaves and fish. I say place them in My hands. You look at the crowd and see need. I look at you in Christ and see a vessel ready to receive and to share.

You are not the source. You were never meant to be. Apart from Me you can do nothing. In Me, what you carry becomes more than enough. I give Myself as your bread. I bless what seems small. I break what you surrender. I give through you to those I love.

Do not measure your capacity. Abide in Mine. Count yourselves alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let the life of Jesus be seen in your mortal body. My grace makes you able. My indwelling makes you new. You are a member of a body, joined to others, supplied from the Head. I live in you, and I love through you.

So when I nudge you toward a person who is hungry, do not retreat into plans or pressure. Offer what you have. A word. A visit. A meal. A prayer of thanks. I will multiply. And when the baskets come back to you filled, remember the lesson. I am your sufficiency. I am the bread that does not run out.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of a big pot of soup on the stove at the end of a long day. You glance in and it looks thin. Family and friends are arriving, and you wonder how it will stretch. You set out bowls anyway. You ladle one serving, then another. You add the last carrots, a handful of rice, a splash of broth from the pantry. By the time you finish serving, there is more in the pot than when you started. You did not conjure a feast by effort. You simply kept serving while the supply kept coming.

Today, when you notice someone weary at work or a neighbor who has been quiet, you do not have to drum up a heroic response. Offer your small loaf to the Lord and act in simple trust. Send the text and check in. Share half of your lunch. Sit and listen for ten unhurried minutes. As you move, quietly say, Lord, I rely on You to express Your generous life through me right now, and I trust You to supply all that is needed. Watch how Jesus fills the pot.

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, thank You that You are my sufficiency. Thank You that Your life in me is more than enough for every person You place in my path. I present my small loaves and fish to You with gratitude. I rest in Your fullness. I thank You that I am crucified with Christ and that You live in me. I thank You that I am part of Your body and share in Your supply. I receive Your abundance with open hands, and I gladly pass along what You are giving.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Matthew 14:16-21, John 6:5-13, John 15:5, Romans 6:11, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, Ephesians 3:16-21, Colossians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27